""They have offered no positive identification that the boat was Venezuelan, nor that its crew were members of Tren de Aragua or any other cartel," said Reed after the briefing, per CNN."
""There is no evidence - none - that this strike was conducted in self-defense," Reed said. "That matters, because under both domestic and international law, the US military simply does not have the authority to use lethal force against a civilian vessel unless acting in self-defense.""
""Trump is claiming the right to conduct extra-judicial assassinations," a civil rights attorney posted on X."
Congressional staff received a Defense Department briefing on the Caribbean strike but were not presented evidence that the boat was Venezuelan or that its crew belonged to Tren de Aragua or another cartel. No intelligence was provided showing the strike was conducted in self-defense, despite a subsequent letter to Congress asserting self-defense. The absence of supporting evidence raises legal concerns because domestic and international law prohibit lethal force against civilian vessels unless acting in self-defense. The Pentagon has disputed the account that no evidence was provided to congressional staff.
Read at Truthout
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